Yellownose's cavern
by Yellownose
Summary: What would you do if you were being targeted by one of the most feared cats in the dark forest? When Yellownose and Snowcrystal find some of the forests greatest secrets, they must find a way to take down Mapleshade once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

Crookedstar and I are Werecats. Recently, he told me to meet him in the City library, as there was something urgent he needed to tell me. Sensing it was urgent, I accepted, and met him there the next day. When I got there, (In the late evening when for some reason it was still open) he told me I needed to see something. He was trembling, and I could see the worry in his eyes.

We walk inside. What could be so awful, to make the great and famous Crookedstar this upset? He grabs a metal post that runs from the floor to the ceiling, and climbs to the top in a few seconds, then leaps about three metres onto the top of a bookshelf. Most books could only be reached by a ladder, or in our case, climbing. I copy him, and look at him questioningly. He reaches over the edge, and pulls out a book. It's titled "Crookedstar's Promise". He turns to face me, his twisted jaw a grimace.  
"Every detail. All my thoughts." he lowers his voice "My visits to the dark forest with Mapleshade." He throws the book down. It falls off the edge and spins down the five metre drop.  
"I don't get it!" I exclaimed, "Who knows your thoughts? Only StarClan. And..." I stopped, not wanting to upset him. Mapleshade had targeted her great grandson for no apparent reason. It had ruined his life, and afterwards, I met him in the town. I am his only friend now, and I didn't want to remind him of Mapleshade.  
"Mapleshade... She's just a foxheart who picks on people in her mate's bloodline. Just because she know my secret, doesn't mean she can share it with the whole world." He stared into the distance. "This Erin Hunter, she was informed of all this by Mapleshade!" His eyes became unfocused. "MAPLESHADE!" He roars, "You coward! Come out and fight me, I'm not scared anymore! Just because I have a friend doesn't mean you can expose her secret!"

"My secret?"  
He reaches down and pulls out a yellow book titled "Yellownose's Story" Oh no. No no no.  
"Mapleshade!" I shout, "How could you do this?!"  
"Come on then... fight me... I challenge you..." Mapleshade's voice is filled with satisfaction. She fades into view, a tortoiseshell sitting at the entrance to the library. I stare at her, not blinking. I'm not going to show her any respect, she doesn't deserve it. Suddenly Crookedstar leaps, turning as he does. I just jump, not willing to risk my secret any further. However, I run as fast as I can, struggling to keep up with the two cats. Eventually, I turn as well, and have no trouble keeping up. Mapleshade comes to a sudden halt, in the middle of a clearing. I had no idea we had entered the lakeside already. I dig my claws into the ground, stopping myself completely. Crookedstar stops next to me, growling and glaring at her. He leaps on her, and bites her leg, slowing her. I hear a noise behind me, and spin around.  
"Yellownose!" I hear a voice shout me, but it comes too late. I screech as Mapleshade's claws dig into my back. I roll and know her off, and before she can get up, I pin her down. I scratch her muzzle but Crookedstar pushes me off and rakes his claws down her stomach. He's about to kill her when she screeches "ENOUGH" and disappears. "AARRGGHH! The worst thing about her is that she's already dead! What else can I do?" Crookedstar sighs.

"You did the best you could."

"Moth Flight! And... Firestar?" I said,  
confused. Firestar never visited us. And I had never met him outside my territory before.

"She's not leaving you alone is she Crookedstar? One day, she's going to realise how much of a foxheart she's been, and come and apologise." Said Moth Flight.

"I somehow doubt it..." Crookedstar seemed more upset than before. By the way, Firestar... um... there's- there's something you need to see..."

"Really? Oh dear..."

We follow Crookedstar, turning before we cross the borders of my territory. We enter town and go inside the library. We climb up the bookshelf where our books were, and show Firestar. Seven of the books are about him...

"What... this... I... just no. No." He jumps down and we follow him. He walks up to the desk and speaks to the librarian.

"Excuse me. I find the books just over there disturbing. Can you please get them removed?"

"Name please, we have to register all complaints in that book just under my laptop."

"Umm..." he looks at me for help. Well he can't call himself Firestar, and he can't call himself Rusty. I shrug and look at my feet. The librarian looks at him again, annoyed this time.

"Can I stay anonymous? I don't want to upset anyone."

"No, sorry, that's not our policy. Name please."

"Richard." How did he come up with that? Ooohhh his Kittypet name. Rusty sounds a bit like Richard.

"Soooooo... complaint from Richard asking for the warriors books to be removed?"

"Yes."

"Ok, got it. Goodbye, have a good morning. Why are you up at four o'clock anyway?"

That was clearly a goodbye. We walked out.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yellownose… you must find her, a ThunderClan cat... You'll know her when you see her…"

I sit up with a start. I bump my head on a rock. Looking up, I notice a small gap in the roof of my den. That wasn't there before. Or, well it probably was, just I hadn't noticed it. Since I'm already in cat form, I leap up through the gap. Although it's dark, I can just about make out a tunnel, and it seems to widen out a little, further on. I keep going forwards, until suddenly it splits into two. I look back and forth, until I notice something. I can smell Firestar's scent in the left tunnel. Maybe this is something to do with my dream. I follow the tunnel, and quite soon, it opens out into a small cave. This time I can see four tunnels. There is a small river flowing across the centre, and a ledge higher up. On top of the ledge, I can see a large stick with claw marks on it. I follow Firestar's scent into the third tunnel, and run down it. After what seems like moons, it opens out into a forest. I continue following the scent trail. I reach a clearing, and the scent is really strong here. I try to work out which direction it's coming from. Suddenly, a figure crashes into me, knocking me off my feet. Then I am released, and I stand up slowly. My attacker stands up and circles me, her tail lashing. Her fur is glittering-white, and she has a heart-shaped silver splodge around her right eye.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?!" She demands.

"Umm…" I hesitate.

"Answer."

"I- um- Who are you?" Is this cat the cat from my dream?

"I'm Snowcrystal, deputy of ThunderClan. What are you doing on our territory?"

"Y-you're deputy? Maybe you're not the cat from my dream…" I say.

"What in StarClan's name do you mean? Just get off our territory!" She hisses.

She is about to leap on me. I panic. I don't move. How am I meant to fight off the _deputy_ of ThunderClan? She leaps on me, I roll; she misses. She gets ready to claw me, but gets interrupted.

"STOP!" Firestar appears out of nowhere.

"F-Firestar? W-why are y-you here?" She stammers

"Because you can't fight _her_!" he tells her.

"Why on earth not?" She asks, "Because she's in _our_ territory! She won't leave! She's a threat to our clan!"

"That's because I sent her here." He replies calmly.

"Why?"

"To find you!"

"Why me though? I'm no one special! I should be at our camp, sorting out hunting patrols! It's nearly leafbare!" she asks

"Firestar!" I interrupt them. They turn to look at me. "I… um… Why do you want us to meet? Where do you want us to go?"

"You'll find out in your own time!" He purrs in amusement and fades away.

"No! Firestar! Come back! Please, you haven't told us what to do!" Snowcrystal yowls.

I sit down, and look at my paws. What if he had brought us together to fight off Mapleshade? That wasn't fair on poor Snowcrystal, she hadn't done anything wrong to upset Mapleshade! I should probably show her my secret.

"Who even are you?" she asks.

"I'm going to show you, but you must promise not to tell anyone. Not even your leader, or your medicine cat, or any of your friends. _No one_. No matter how much you dislike me for it, or think I'm strange for it, I won't do anything to hurt you. You'll understand in a minute. Do I have your word?" I ask.

"I, well, I guess I have plenty of secrets of my own!" she purrs in amusement, "So yes, you have my word."

I turn, expecting her to run off or attack me. After all, I _am_ a twoleg in her territory. But to my surprise, she turns too! We're both werecats! I laugh awkwardly.

"So maybe this is why Firestar chose us! I'm assuming you know his secret, considering ours…"

"Of course I know! That's why I was so angry when I found out that you knew him!"

"Ok, well, I guess we should see what he wants. I have a bit of an idea where he'll be! It's too small for any twoleg though!"

We turn back, and begin walking back towards the tunnels.


	3. Chapter 3

We reach the tunnels. Firestar's scent is fresh, and he has been here since I last came through.

"So…. Where do we go from here?" Snowcrystal looks around. I can only just see her in this dark cave.

"Well, back the way I came through the first time, since that's the way Firestar went!" We continue up the tunnel, for so long, until I reach the first cave. Instead, Firestar's scent leads toward the route I haven't taken before.

"Well, I guess it's this way, but I've never been here before…"

"Let's go then!" Snowcrystal mews enthusiastically, but by the wobble in her voice, I can tell that she's just as scared as I am.

The tunnel leads on for what seems like moons. I pad on, determined to find what Firestar wants. We continue, getting faster, and faster, and faster, until suddenly the path stops. It leads out into a large, open cavern, with a bright light coming, from somewhere, so I stop. Unfortunately, it stops so suddenly, and I stop suddenly, that Snowcrystal runs right into me, and we both fall. I expect great pain to come, but all that comes is a loud splash, as my front paws hit the water. I go deep down, and my paws hit the cold, smooth bottom of this pool. I can't breathe and the pressure of the water is hurting me. I try to keep my eyes open, frantically trying to swim to the light that is the surface. I turn, in an effort to be able to swim better. I see a twoleg – wait, a Werecat, his eyes are yellow, swimming towards me, his hand stretched out to me. I stretch mine out, trying to reach him, as even though he could be very dangerous, he is my only chance of survival. Still holding that deep, painful breath, I kick frantically, trying to get up. Finally, he grabs my hand, and pulls me up. I'm trying incredibly hard to stay conscious. Suddenly I have to let go of the breath I had been holding, it's hurting me too much, so I let it go, not realising that was the only thing keeping me conscious. The static grows louder. Slowly, the darkness closes in and I am unconscious.

"Yellownose, you can't drown! Not now!"

I open my eyes to see a forest, and Moth Flight staring at me. She has a worried look on her face, her white fur glittering in the moonlight.

"Why? I mean, I'm no one special!" I ask. I'm not special! How am I meant to do anything important, when I don't even belong in a Clan?

"Of course you are! This is your destiny!" She _wanted_ me to drown?! I thought she meant that I wasn't going to die!

"To drown?!" I ask, knowing that was entirely possible, considering the pain I had just been through, and all the stress.

"No! To save – well, you'll find out! You MUST help! Mapleshade will take over ThunderClan is you don't!" Aaargh. Can she be anymore vague? That makes no sense! Anyway, how can a dead cat even take over a clan of living cats?

"How? She's dead!" I exclaim.

"Which makes her more powerful! You MUST stop her!" What. No. No. No. I'm going to fail, and let everyone down.

"How? I'm me! No-one. A loner. Who's going to listen to me?" I ask.

"He is."

"Who is?"

"You'll find out!"

"Can you even be ANY more annoying? Just let me die!"

"NO! It's NOT your time to die! Just go and tell him!"

"Who? Firestar? Tell him what?"

She fades away. The forest fades away. My eyes are closed again.


	4. Chapter 4

I keep my eyes closed. There's no point in opening them. I hear voices speaking about me.  
"When will she wake up?" This voice is worried. It must be Snowcrystal, I conclude.  
"Give her time." This is a new voice. A tom, I assume, as he has a lower voice.  
"She's been out for hours! She might need medical attention!"  
"So you want me to just walk in to a hospital and let them do tests on her?" There is a pause, which must be Snowcrystal shaking her head. "No. I didn't think so. Now give her time."  
"Let her be. I'll stay with her, you take Snowcrystal to see Bracken. She might have some injuries she hasn't noticed yet." There is a noise of footsteps, I assume they are leaving us. I open my eyes to see a girl facing me. She has ink black hair, and green eyes.  
"Ahh, you're awake! Are you feeling any better?"  
"A bit," I say, "Who was the tom with Snowcrystal?"  
"He's Loki," she explains. "The leader of our group. He's kind, and he's the one who saved you."  
"That's kind of him. Who are you?" I ask, then realise how rude I must sound to her "Sorry about so many questions!"  
"It's fine, ask away! My name's Padmashi. Loki saved me too, only it was after I ran into a she cat called -"  
"Mapleshade!" I gasp in horror.  
"You know her?"  
"Yes. She's from the dark forest, Crookedstar and I keep getting targeted by her. The only problem is she's dead."  
"Dead?" She echoes.  
"Yes, so we can't kill her, only make her face away forever."  
"That must be scary..." she trails off.  
"Who's Bracken?" I ask.  
"Bracken? She's our nurse."  
"Like a medicine cat?" Wow, I'm used to clan terms, even though I am now a loner!  
"Yes, you should go and see her, I'll take you." And Padmashi and I walk towards another small cave.  
"Yellownose! You're awake!" Snowcrystal comes running over. She looks me up and down. "Are you okay? No broken bones? No torn ligaments?"  
"I'm fine!" I laugh a little. "Padmashi looked after me well!"  
"Let me just check you don't have any unseen injuries!" A girl with brown hair and brown eyes comes over. This must be Bracken. She checks me over, and, when she is sure I don't have any injuries. She hurries off.  
"Bracken's a bit shy. Someone locked her in an oil tank, and she almost drowned." A voice from behind me told me Loki had arrived.  
"Hello Loki. Padmashi told me who you are, thanks for saving me." I say, feeling a lot of gratitude towards him.  
"It's ok, I can't bear to see anyone hurt." He replies, his untidy brown hair poking in his eye, and he brushes it back. I don't think he's washed his hair properly in a long while.  
"Where does the light come from here?" I ask, curious.  
"The Sunstone." he jerks his head upwards and I look. There is a massive orange gemstone in the ceiling, covering a hole. The Sunstone reflects the light around the cave, like a star.  
"It's like a powered up version of the moonstone in the old territories! Only it works in daytime, too!" It seems that Snowcrystal is just as amazed as I am.  
I sense a mystery around the Sunstone however, and that it's somehow linked to the Moonstone. I also sense a large adventure connecting us to it. Maybe that's what Moth Flight wanted me to find. Maybe, just maybe, it has a greater significance than we think, and we just have to look at it from another perspective...


	5. Chapter 5

"You're doing well Yellownose. Keep going, and don't let anything stop you." Firestar's voice echoes through my mind as I watch the Sunstone begin to glow. Sunrise. Although it doesn't rise in here. I turn, preferring being a cat to a twoleg, and pad towards the waterfall, watching it splash, and spray the surrounding rocks.  
"Sunrise is difference down here, isn't it!" I spin around to see Padmashi padding towards me. She is also a cat, and it's the first time I'd seen her as one. She was black and white, with an interesting pattern around her nose. She had three white paws, and one black.  
"Yeah." I say, looking at the Sunstone. "Is there any way out of here?"  
"Yes," she replies, "I thought Loki told you! Behind the waterfall, there is a small hole, which leads to the cave with the river. It comes out at a ledge quite high. The other way was a wide tunnel, leading from next to the Sunstone. You could get there by climbing up those rocks. But it's never been open while we've been here. It must go quite far though, as the small gap in the rockfall glows at night and echoes when you yowl down it. Loki says that his grandmother Dulcie, used to say that she heard other cats' voices down there on half moon nights."  
"Sounds like Moonstone..."  
"What do you mean?"  
"The old warrior clans, many seasons ago, lived in another forest. They had a special place to meet their ancestors, StarClan, at a place called Moonstone. It glowed when the moonlight shone above it, and the medicine cats used to meet there every half moon!" I told her excitedly.  
"Maybe it could be the same place! I wonder what happens when the Moonstone and the Sunstone shine on each other!"

"You could have just found out why Firestar brought us here!" I say excitedly

"What? I thought you fell out of the tunnels! You mean, you are here because of a message from a _legendary cat?!_ That's amazing! Why are you staying here? I mean, come on, let's fetch Snowcrystal, and get going!" She says, bubbling with excitement.

"You're coming with us?" I ask

"Yes! I- I mean, if you'll have me!" She confirms awkwardly.

"Of course we'll have you!" Snowcrystal had came up behind us without us noticing.

"Yay!" She squeals.

"Hi Snowcrystal!" I say

"Hi!"She replies.

"Do you think we should get going then? Padmashi and I worked out that we need to get rid of the stone barrier- we'll explain that later- and line up the Moonstone and Sunstone and see what happens!" I tell her

"Ok! Let's Go!" she replies.


	6. Chapter 6

_"You're doing well, Yellownose, keep going! All the Clans need you! Only you can stop Mapleshade and B—Umm... forget I said anything..." Moth Flight looks at her paws._

 _"Who?! Tell me Moth Flight! Please!" I ask, knowing that this may be my only chance._

 _"You will find out, but now is not the time. You have met him before, only you did not know his dark plans. But now you must stop him before it's too late." She replies, making me more confused._

 _"Who? Who have I met before? Please just tell me!" I beg her, "Please!" But the dream was already fading, and before I knew it, I woke up._

I sit up, thinking about last night's dream. How am I supposed to stop someone who I don't even know?! Or know I know. I think. The only cat with a name beginning with 'b' is Bramblestar, and he's with StarClan! So is Brackenfur. And Braken can't be with the Dark Forest! Anyway, she's a girl, and Moth Flight said I have met _him_ not _her_. Anyway, if we're to find the Moonstone and connect the tunnel to the Sunstone, we should really get going.

"Snowcrystal! I just had a dream from Moth Flight!" I tell her, seeing her pad into the temporary den. I assume that she's just been for a check up with Bracken.

"So have I! Well, not Moth Flight, Firestar. He told me that I have to protect ThunderClan from two cats I am yet to meet. Whatever that means." She replies.

"Mapleshade."

"Who?"

"Mapleshade. I have met her more times than necessary." I grimace.

"You- you're involved with her?! Are you _working_ for her?!" She steps back, as though she thinks I of all people would be working for her.

"NO!" I shout. Snowcrystal jumps and steps back again.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to offend you. What happened with Mapleshade?" She steps forward again.

"She ruined my life."

"Tell me what happened. I mean, you don't _have_ to, just I'd like to know."

"It's ok, I'll tell you. Just after I was a kit..."

 _I walked along the fence, all the way. Or at least that was what I was doing. I got about halfway, and a scarred tortoiseshell hit me. I fell into the twoleg's garden, right onto their flowers. The flowers fell apart._

 _"What was that for?!" I asked the tortoiseshell._

 _"What does it matter to you?!" she replied._

 _"I just crushed a twoleg's flowers! I'm going to get targeted by them for the rest of my life! That's what it matters to me!" I spat. The yowl of a twoleg startled me, and I leaped back onto the fence. The tortoiseshell leaped at me again. I fell off the fence. Again. But this time she started to fight me. Now, at this time, I was only about ten moons old, so, after falling off the fence twice, I couldn't really do anything to defend myself against her. Sharp claws scratched my muzzle, and I screeched in pain. She ripped open my shoulder and I screeched again. She pushed me over and I rolled onto my back, exposing my neck. For the first time I noticed that she was slightly translucent._

 _"Are you- are you... dead?!" I asked._

 _"Yes. That means you can't kill me, only I can kill you!" she laughed, and was about to give me the killing blow. Suddenly she was pushed off be a tom with a crooked jaw._

 _"Mapleshade! She's basically a kit! You're killing a KIT! LEAVE HER ALONE!" He bit hard onto her tail and this time she was the one to screech in pain._

 _"Just because you're dead, doesn't mean you can't feel pain!" she began to fade away._

 _"ha... you haven't seen... the... last of me... I will follow you kit, never leave you... you'll wish I killed you..." and then she disappeared._

"So, yeah."

"Wow... you must _hate_ Mapleshade!" Snowcrystal exclaims.

"That I do. And she kept her word. I saw her only three moonrises ago. She has started – how do I put this... – showing our secret to the world."

"WHAT!?"

"I'll tell you more when we get on our journey.

We walked over to where Braken and Loki were.

"I'm sorry Loki, we have to go now." Saying goodbye is harder than I thought...  
"I understand. Feel free to visit us on the way back, or anytime really. You're always welcome! It's not every day that we come across someone like us!" Loki smiles, and I realise that we may possibly be talking to the only other Werecats that are actually alive right now! Crookedstar and Firestar are in StarClan, and Loki's group are the only others we know about.  
"Should I show them the way out? I could go on a hunting trip afterwards too." I see Padmashi give me a glance. Loki hasn't guessed what's going on.  
"Of course. I'm sure they would like that. We're low on food, so hunting would be great!"  
"So are we going now then?" Snowcrystal asks me.  
"Yeah, I guess." I look around, I'll miss the cavern. "Our mission awaits us!" I add, trying to make the others laugh.  
"Bye Braken, thanks for helping us!" Snowcrystal thanks her.  
"Yeah, and thanks for letting us stay, Loki!" I add. We pad up the slope, and Padmashi leads the way around the back of the waterfall. As she had told us, there was a small hole leading diagonally upwards. We follow the tunnel and eventually find our way out. Surprisingly, we come out right by the Sunstone. We can see a small translucent patch on the floor, which must give the Sunstone light, where it magnifies it.  
"The Moonstone is in the old territories, so we should take the route the clans did on the great journey. We're already part of the way there, so it shouldn't take too long." Snowcrystal explains.  
"I think we should go through the twolegplace, as it's busy in that town, and we should be able to ask around for directions." I suggest, "Although it might be stressful. I don't spend much time in twolegplaces anymore... I wasn't always a Werecat."  
"Me neither." Says Padmashi "We should share stories sometime!"  
"That's a good idea!" Snowcrystal says "I was always a Werecat though, both my parents were, and they joined ThunderClan after claiming to be former Kittypets. Of course they weren't actually Kittypets!"  
We share our stories as we walk towards the twolegplace, as the sun begins to set.


	7. Chapter 7

"It's been a long time since I visited the Moonstone! I've only actually seen it once..." I explain.  
"You went to the Moonstone too!?" Exclaims Padmashi, "Ok, well, you tell us two your story, and we can see how much we all have in common."  
"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Snowcrystal agrees.  
"Ok, well I was lost in the woods, I had wandered off to explore, and I felt like I was looking for something..."

The sky is clear, and the half moon is so pretty! I'm sure that I'll find something exciting. I want to go that way, where the river is, but I've got this strange feeling about those mountains. Ok, I'm going to go there.  
I start walking towards them. I can see lots of small footprints by the river. I wonder what made them? Maybe it was a badger.  
No, it can't be a badger, the prints are to small for that. Maybe there's a fox den there! No; I can't waste any time, I've got to reach it before midnight. Wait- I've got to reach what? Maybe it's just my tiredness taking effect. For all I know, this could all be a dream! Well, I should keep going.  
I continue walking, and the closer I get to the mountains, the stronger the feeling gets. Suddenly, when I'm nearly at the top, I notice a large cave.  
I should really go back. If I don't, Bronwen will probably about my parents by continuously telling them that "Jana ran away!" Excitedly because she doesn't like me. But I have to find it! And I also must find out what "it" is.

Aside note - Jana is pronounced "Yar-na"

"Who's Jana?" Asks Snowcrystal.  
"Me. I mean, that was my name before I joined Riverclan."

I began walking down the tunnel, and it quickly becomes pitch black. I keep going though. Then I feel calm, and it feels like something is preventing me from walking forwards. Suddenly, a bright light shines from in front of me. I feel the urge to reach out and touch it. I can't really stop myself from doing it. I'm not even controlling what I'm doing now; I can't. But for some reason I feel strangely calm. Then suddenly I feel a horrible pain everywhere, and everything goes blank.

I can't quite figure out who I am. There's someone staring at me. A cat. I'm a cat too. What's my name. I don't know. She's poking me. She's got a clump of chewed up leaves stuck to her paw. Ow!

I sit up suddenly. She's putting it on my side, and it's going right into the cut!  
"Stop that!" I scream. Or yowl. Why am I a cat?  
"Stay still, kit! You're making it really hard for me to treat your wounds!"  
"I'm not a kit!"  
"You are less than six moons old, so you are a kit. I would say about five moons?"  
"Five moons?" I'm ten years old, not five months! Then I think about it. If cats only live about twenty years, then maybe she's right. "How did you guess?"  
"A medicine cat knows these things."  
"Who are you, exactly?" I ask.  
"I'm Brambleberry. You're in Riverclan. I found you next to the Moonstone, you seemed to have passed out. What's your name?" My name? What is my name... Is this amnesia or something? Oh yeah! Of course that's my name!  
"I'm Jana."  
"Jana... do you want a clan name?" Asks Brambleberry  
"Yes please!"  
"How about... Yellowkit?"  
"Yes! That name is great!"

"And Brambleberry herself raised me from there." I finish.  
"But..." Says Snowcrystal.  
"But what?" I ask.  
"Why... why aren't you in Riverclan now?"  
"That was five years ago."  
"Five years? But why didn't you stay there? And you don't look much like an elder!" She laughs.  
"Werecats age differently to normal cats." Explains Padmashi. "We age the same as twolegs, each of us will live about eighty or ninety years."  
"So that's why you still look like an apprentice Yellownose!" Snowcrystal exclaims.  
"Well so do you! I had to leave because everyone didn't understand why I still looked like a kit, and only Crookedstar and Firestar knew. I went to live near the twolegplace for a while."  
"Oh. I see..."  
We continue walking for a while, until we reach a farm. I tell the others I need a rest, and we stay to sleep. I have the strangest nightmare, none of it quite makes sense. I wake up, catch a mouse, and go back to sleep.


End file.
